TOKYO, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The mayor of a town in northeastern Japan on Wednesday requested the U.S. military to ground all flights of its F-16 fighter jets based at the Misawa Air Base after one of them dumped two fuel tanks in a nearby lake after an engine fire just after takeoff a day earlier.
In a meeting with Col. R. Scott Jobe, commander of the U.S. base, Tohoku town Mayor Koji Ebina requested that all flights by F-16 jets stationed at the base in Aomori Prefecture be suspended and local fisherman be compensated for a loss of earnings.
"We have lots of fishermen. One wrong step could result in a catastrophe," Ebina was quoted as telling reporters on Wednesday.
A fire in the plane's engine broke out as soon as the F-16 jet took off from the Misawa Airbase in Aomori Prefecture early on Tuesday.
The plane was forced to dump its two external fuel tanks in a nearby lake, with the tanks splashing down between 200-400 meters from where fishing boats were operating, Japanese government and local officials said.
The F-16's fuel tanks were reportedly 4.5 meters in length and about 1 meter in diameter and weighed at least 200 km when empty.
In a statement, the U.S. Air Force said that the fighter jet had confirmed that the area, Lake Ogawara, in which 10 clam boats were operating, was "unpopulated" before dumping both tanks.
"The aircraft was recovered safely on the installation airfield, and there were no injuries to the pilot or personnel on the ground. We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of this incident," the statement said.
The lake is located to the north of the airbase and the fighter jet returned to the base shortly after jettisoning its external fuel tanks.
Local police closed a road to vehicles near the lake until it could be confirmed that the tanks weren't containing any toxic materials.
While the full details of fuel leakage in the lake are being confirmed, the Lake Ogawara fishery association decided to completely halt fishing in the lake until the fuel oil is retrieved.
According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, the Lake Ogawara fishery association has estimated that the fishermen are losing around 28,000 U.S. dollar a day, due to the incident.
Along with freshwater clams, the lake is rich in smelt, and whitebait are in season at this time of year, the association said.
Masataka Hamada, the head of the association, described the situation as being extremely "regrettable," and said that the local fishermen will seek compensation through discussions with local authorities.
Aomori prefecture governor Shingo Mimura, meanwhile, was also quoted as saying that the mishap was "regrettable" and that the jettisoned tanks had hindered clam boat operations.
He urged the U.S. forces and the Japanese government to look into the cause of the incident and compensate the affected fishermen.
Ebina, for his part, committed to seeking compensation for the fisherman who are losing thousands of dollars a day due to the mishap.
"We will do our best to acquire compensation as soon as the amount of the damages and fishing suspension days are determined," the mayor said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the central government would grant the request for compensation once the damages are confirmed.
"If fishery damages are confirmed, we will investigate the actual conditions and deal with the matter appropriately," Suga told a press briefing on the matter, adding that the latest military aircraft-linked mishap had "caused great fear to the local people."
Tensions have been growing in Japan recently, particularly in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa due to a series of U.S. military aircraft-linked accidents and mishaps.
In January alone, three helicopters based at the controversial U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa made emergency "off base" landings, sparking local and national indignation and fear.
A month earlier, a window fell off a CH-53E large transport helicopter and fell on the grounds of an elementary school just meters from where more than 50 children were taking physical education classes.
